


Third Times the Charm

by Some1sprincess



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Always Female Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale is Bad at Feelings, Derek Hale is a Failwolf, F/M, Girl!Stiles, Mechanic Stiles Stilinski, Some Fluff, Stiles Stilinski is a good mom, Stiles Stilinski is a mom, Stiles Stilinski is mad, Stiles and Derek swap personalities, Talia Hale is not Dereks mom, Teen Pregnancy, There is no fluff, Well she was, all anger, before she died, like really mad, werewolf babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 02:55:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17459267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Some1sprincess/pseuds/Some1sprincess
Summary: Stiles has a secret that she hasn't told Derek, and doesn't want to, something that could potentially change the rest of their lives.





	Third Times the Charm

**Author's Note:**

> So I was expecting to post this one shot last week but it took longer then expected so this week I will post this work and the last chapter to The Presidents son.

The first time that Derek and Stiles had split was when Stiles was six and Derek was twelve, Stiles had spent the summer at the Hale house while her father worked and her mother stayed in the hospital. It also meant that there was a lot of nights spent at the Hale home as well and while they tried to make her stay in her own room at first they soon found out that she would always end up in Derek's bed whether she started in her own bed or not so they eventually just let her sleep in there. Their mothers had been really close since high school and since Stiles was really little they had often played together. Cora had been a lot closer to Stiles age but it was always Derek that she levitated towards, something in her always pulling her to him and she never questioned it, she was six why would she. That particular summer though the two had become inseparable spending a lot of time either playing video games or out back in the forest. Derek looked after Stiles like she was a part of the family and when Claudia died and John picked up Stiles at the end of the day on one of last days of summer neither of them realized that it would be for the last time. 

The next time they say each other, Stiles was eighteen and Derek was twenty four, Derek had been passing through when he caught the familiar scent. What he hadn't realized was that the only reason he had caught her scent in the middle of the forest was because she had been kidnapped by another visiting werewolf. He quickly tracked her down, with just a few seconds to spare as the wolf had his claws to her throat ready to kill her when he busted through the brush taking the wolf out. They spent the first half of the night catching up and then the second half with Stiles showing Derek her gratitude. Of course the next morning Stiles woke up to an empty bed, with nothing left from Derek except heartache and something neither of them had planned. 

Which was how Stiles found herself, at twenty three and Derek twenty nine, on the ground of a garage trying to get one of the stupid engine bolts out of its hole. She had spent the last two hours cussing at it in hopes that would work but alas to no avail. Stiles planned on trying this one more time before going to get one of the wolves for help. So she resituated herself, bringing her feet closer to her body, taking the wrench in her hand and pushing with all of her force. It felt like it was moving just a touch when there was a deep voice that made her jump.

“Excuse me is there not a single fucking person that works in this shop?”

Stiles jumped causing the wrench to slip and her hand to go up, she was sure that her fingers where going to break but when they came to solid metal they slipped moving out straight, the back of her hand slammed against the metal bending at the wrist as her full body weight came up behind it. There was a loud pop and she cursed under her breath, she was pissed as she ground her teeth together to prevent the scream that wanted to come out. They had set up a system in the shop for when everyone else was out, there was a nice little button that would flash lights to get Stiles attention so that way she didn't get spooked and slam her hand into things… like she just did. “Are you fucking stupid, do you not know how to read a fucking sign?” She grabbed the bumper with her good hand resting the other against her stomach and slide herself and the creeper that she was on out from under the car. Once she was able to sit up, she brought her gaze up to glare at the man who had caused her literal pain and froze when she did. Who was standing there but the infamous Derek Hale. If Stiles heartbeat wasn't going a mile a minute before from hurting herself it definitely picked up now. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

There was a cocky grin that spread across his face “is that anyway to treat an old friend?”

She scoffed, leaning against the car to get up “I wouldn't call us that” she shook her head and looked down at her hand, yup that looked really broken, surprisingly it didn't hurt too bad it just looked horrible “but apparently you would.” Stiles looked back up at him and tried to will the fear that Derek brought out in her, she wasn't afraid of him but what he could fuck up in her life while he was here. There was a confused look on his face but Stiles just couldn't bring herself to care “seriously Derek, what the fuck are you doing here?”

The tall dark haired man with chiseled features and beautiful blue eyes, that had at one point in Stiles life caused her to swoon, threw a thumb over his shoulder as pink started to touch at his cheeks. “My car broke down on the side of interstate a few miles back, you were the closest shop in town but I can find another one…”

There was a part of her that was really hating herself as she just shook her head “the next shop is 40 miles out in the next town. It's fine.” She grabbed the keys to the tow truck and moved her hand to try and get some movement but it was useless the only thing it did was send sharp scream worthy pain up her arm. She was just about to pull the door down, or have Derek the unbelievable ass do it, when Scott pulled up. Good another person on her list of people she was going to throttle later, as he walked up she glared at him. “What the fuck Scott you were supposed to be here an hour ago.” If he had been she wouldn't be having to deal with Derek fucking Hale.

Scott gave her his best puppy eyes, which only annoyed her more “Allison wouldn't let me leave.” If Stiles had a dollar for everytime she heard that excuse she'd be able to pay off the mortgage on her house. 

“I have to get his car,” she lowered her voice and took a step closer to Scott hoping Derek wouldn’t eavesdrop as she spoke. “Have Isaac pick up Lia, have him keep her with him tell I get back.” He nodded, another concerned look on his face but he had been giving her those looks for the past six years so she once again ignored it and jumped into the tow truck “come on pretty boy let's get this shit over with.”

Derek, realizing that Stiles was talking about him, climbed into the truck next to her an odd expression on his face as she drove away from the shop and he gave directions to where his car was. “What happened to you?”

She scoffed glancing at him from the corner of her eye “you really wanna open that can of worms?” She took a second to look over at him, long enough to see him nod before she turned back to the road. Stiles kept her hurt hand tucked delicately in her lap so that way she didn't hurt it anymore than it already was before she could have it looked at “You, you happened to me.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

Stiles gaped at him her mouth moving like a fish out of water “you left me”

He glared at her “you left me first”

Her heart was practically trying to beat out of her chest “I was six and it's not like you put any effort into reaching out to me.”

She watched as he looked out the window “phones work both ways honey.”

“Don't you honey me, at least when I left it was against my will… and I didn't fuck you and run.”

“You don't mean to seriously throw that in my face it takes two…?” but Stiles didn't let him finish, instead parking the truck in front of his Camaro in case she actually needed to tow it. “We aren’t done…”

“I am, you want your car fixed or not?” It was still one of the most beautiful cars that Stiles had ever seen or even been able to work on and moved towards it, walking all the way around, she ran her gloved finger over the driver door “God she's beautiful,” she looked up at Derek “I hope you treat her better than the woman you fuck.”

“Seriously Stiles, what…”

“Pop the hood” he grumbled his disdain but moved to do as she said, she wanted to fix whatever it was quickly so he could once again get his werewolf ass out of her life. She opened the hood, once he released it, and propped it open. For it being as cold as it was outside and calculating how long it would have taken Derek to walk to the shop, the engine was still way too warm for her liking even if he had used his werewolf speed it still should have been a lot cooler.

“Stiles!”

She moved her head out from under the hood just enough to see the Sheriff's car parked behind the Camaro “hey pops, what’re you doing here?”

He made his way over to where Stiles and Derek were standing, his hands in his pockets “I heard there was a broken down Camaro, I called the shop but Scott said you already left so I came out.” Once he was close enough he noticed Derek and the grin on his face only grew “Derek Hale is that really you, how have you been son?” Stiles thought for sure that her father would have been just as upset to see Derek as she was but this wasn't the first time she'd been wrong.

Of course Derek gave his award winning smile as he took her father's hand “I'm good sir. How have you been?” Stiled rolled her eyes and she ducked her head back under the car mumbling to herself, Derek Hale folks, stealing the hearts of all, breaking the heart of one… no wait two the other one he didn't even know about.

“Haven't been too bad” Stiles reached for the radiator cap only to draw her hand away when it burned her skin, hissing in pain, she jumped up so quickly that she smacked the back of her head on the latch. Luckily it was the hand that was probably already broken the unlucky part was that it immediately made Stiles nauseous… oh dear God she definitely knew she broke it now, or that could be the after effects of hitting her head.

She looked at the bottle from the side before looking over at Derek pushing the nausea down as best she could so that she could get this finished before she needed to leave “are you serious, did you seriously not check your coolant?”

He looked at her shocked “I did…”

“Your blown head gasket says other wise” she stood up, this time making sure to avoid the latch on the hood as she brought her head up not wanting a repeat of what just happened and looked down at the car. “I'm gonna have to get it back to the shop. If there isn't anything else wrong” she tilted her head calculating her time as well as mentally trying to push down the uncomfortable twist and flips her stomach was doing. “Getting parts and the other work I have, it's gonna take me about three weeks.”

“Three weeks!” Her father looked at her like she was crazy, it was odd though, Stiles had seen that look a lot but there was something just ever so slightly different about this one but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. “Stiles this is your oldest friend.”

She shook her head bringing her hand up to tuck close to her body so she wouldn't try to do anything with it again. “Why do you people keep thinking this” she held up her good hand in a sign of defeat and another roll of her stomach almost had her puking all over the engine compartment but she swallowed it back and looked at her father. “I'm sorry but I can't just choose to do Derek's car first because I knew him as a child plus you know how Sal is, we’re 40 miles from the biggest chain auto parts store and I'm sorry but this car needs the good stuff or she's not gonna run right.” 

Her father shook his head “I swear you understand cars more than you understand people.” Stiles turned away from them mumbling under her breath once again about it being true, not to mention she wanted him out of here faster than anyone. Her eyes got wide as her stomach lurched for a third time, this time there was no holding it back as her body pushed whatever had been in her stomach out and she had just enough time to lean out of the engine compartment to vomit. “Stiles are you okay?”

Yup, there was the shock taking over her body as her hand started with a dull ache, when she got everything out of her stomach she looked back up at her father ignoring his question because let's face it, she hadn't been okay in six years. “There's also the fact that I just broke my hand too.” Her stomach was doing somersaults and she looked at her dad. “Call Boyd, have him come pick up the car, I have to go to the hospital.” 

“I don't think you should be driving” Stiles looked up at her father and apparently he got what she was trying to say because he held up his hands in surrender. He turned to Derek “We’ll wait here for Boyd to pick up the car and then I can take you into town son.” Good, Stiles thought to herself, get him as far away from her as possible. The Sheriff stayed in front of Derek's car long enough for her to get in the tow truck and drive off before leading Derek back to the squad car and phoning Boyd about the Camaro. She knew that her father would stay there to make sure that nobody hit it though. Not that she wouldn't mind seeing Derek's prized possession crushed to match Stiles broken heart but to be fair it was a beautiful car so Stiles was kind of torn.

Stiles drove herself to the emergency room and to her undying luck Melissa was on duty, although to be fair it really wasn't luck Melissa just worked... a lot. With that being said she got Stiles in to get x-rays, no sooner than if Stiles had come in without Melissa being there but Scott's mom was really just a bonus to help keep her calm. They found out that it was indeed broken and not only needed to be placed in a cast but would also need to be reset. Stiles contemplated the local anesthetic or pain killers that they offered but they informed her that she wouldn't be able to drive afterwards and she still had to pick up Lia which she would not risk it if she was loopy. 

Melissa, while having her alone in a room, first asked if this had been caused by a supernatural when Stiles let her know that it was due to her own clumsiness she proceeded to ask if Stiles wanted her to call one of the pack to pick her up but Stiles hated asking for help more than she hated pain so she politely declined. The older woman, the closest thing she had to a mom since her own had died, allowed Stiles to wrap her good arm up and around her shoulder so that she could hold on to something when they put it in place. Melissa wasn't going to risk her own hand being broken... again, since she knew how strong Stiles was when she accidentally broke Melissa's hand while giving birth. She buried her face into Melissa shoulder and clenched her jaw against the scream as they reset it before putting her in a cast that went around her thumb and finger all the way to the middle of her forearm, she would have to be in it for the next six to eight weeks and nothing made Stiles seeth more. If she thought she was pissed before about Derek's arrival it escalated to pure hatred by the time she left the hospital. To be on the safe side, since Stiles still had to work even though they specifically told her not to since she worked with her hands, they also prescribed her some pretty heavy pain killers as well. Of course she was more likely to just go to one of her pack mates and have then relieve the pain but she couldn't exactly tell the doctor that so instead she just took it without arguing. 

Once she was done and released it was nearly nine at night and Stiles body hurt and she was more exhausted than normal which was something that happened when she was in a lot of pain, however, she couldn't deal with that right now since she still had another job she had to do. She dropped off the tow truck at the shop, picking up her jeep before she drove to Isaacs place. He helped put Lia in the car since she was already asleep before she headed home. She looked into the rearview mirror at the little girl that was fast asleep in her car seat. Lia was all dark hair and pale skin, dotted with moles much the same way that Stiles was but her eyes, even though they were closed now Stiles knew her eyes she definitely did not get from Stiles. They were a piercing blue color and man could her daughter use them in the most puppy dog way, which she specifically blamed Scott for, they were also a reminder of why she hated Derek almost everyday for the past six years. When they got home Stiles went to hang the girls jacket on the hook next to her father's Sheriff jacket when a heavy leather one caught her eye. Her heart froze in her chest because what in the everloving hell was that doing there. She looked at the sleeping girl in her arms, well arm she wasn't supposed to be lifting anything with the bad wrist let alone be carrying a 55 pound girl up the stairs, but decided that she didn't need to be listening to anything that may be coming out of Stiles mouth in the following twenty minutes. So she took her upstairs, changed the girl in her pajamas, never waking her before turning on the radio in hopes it would block out most of the conversation that was about to go on downstairs.

Going to the kitchen, she once again had to push down the anger and now the pain that was spiking in her hand before facing the scene that she already knew she wasn't going to like. When she walked into the kitchen Derek was standing in front of the sink, a now clean plate in his soapy wet hands, her father in one of the kitchen chairs a huge smile on his face. “What in the absolute fuck are you doing in my house?”

Her father looked over at her shocked by the outburst “now Stiles…”

“No, no now Stiles” she turned to Derek “what in the fuck?”

He set the plate on the rack with the other clean dishes seemingly ignoring her anxiety that she knew he could smell. The muscles in his back, that she had idolized at one point in her life, were relaxed and the longer she watched him the more she became annoyed at his presence. “Is that the only thing you know how to say to me?”

Stiles chest was getting tight, making it hard for her to breath as she took deep breaths to try and calm her nerves at the hatred that was building in her veins. She clenched her fists “oh trust me there are like a million other things I would like to say to you but my father is here…”

“Mieczyslaw Stilinski” Stiles head flew to look at her father because why would he go and use that name in front of someone that she loathed but by the disappointed look on his face she could definitely see why. To be fair it wasn't like Derek didn't know her actual name it was just that she let a select few actually hear it. “I told Derek that while he had to stay in town he could stay with us.”

She glared at him because as much as she didn't want to disappoint her father she also didn't want Derek fucking Hale in her home. Stiles dug her nails into the palm of her hand and into the plaster of the cast but just wasn't getting the calming effect that she was searching for. “You had no right.”

Her father looked at her daring her to challenge any authority he put out there “I have every right, I’m your father”

Her teeth hurt from grinding them together still trying to fight off the panic attack “I'm seriously reconsidering my options about that.”

He shrugged “good luck with that.”

There was a tug on Stiles broken hand “mommy?” Stikes hissed and pulled her hand away from her sleepy faced daughter, something she would normally never do but thanks again to the jackass of the night she could see the hurt in her babies eyes. 

Her daughter looked up at her terrified that she had just been denied her attempt at making her feel better and Stiles heart broke for her so she got down on one knee to show the girl the cast. As her daughter took her hand, more delicately this time, Stiles watched as the black lines went up her daughters arm and Stiles wanted to cry right then and there because she was so weak her six year old had to make her feel better. She took a deep breath to try and clear the knot in her throat “I'm sorry baby, I just hurt my hand real bad earlier.” She brushed the girls hair away from her face with her good hand and as she stood there with her daughter close enough to touch the feeling of a panic attack coming on slowly faded, she was safe, her baby was right here the thought that she needed to take care of Stiles still breaking her heart. “Maybe you can sign it later?”

The girls eyes lit up and she nodded her head, the concern as she kept her fingers looped with Stiles still there though. “Are you okay?”

Those big blue eyes looked deep into Stiles for the real reason that she was so upset because even Lia could hear the lie as the words left her lips and now that her pain was gone the little girl must have known it wasn't just that. “I am princess, just tired.”

Derek moved away from the sink, drying his hands on a towel before coming over to stand in front of her. Stiles stood up, the desire to protect her little girl growing stronger the closer that he got. She fought everything in her to not move to block Lia but of course her little girl, who at the sight of him, moved so she was more behind Stiles leg, clinging to her and Stiles was glad she wasn't the one that initiated it. This gesture apparently didn't deter Derek at all as a small smile spread across his lips, fucker, “hello sweetheart, what's your name.”

She lifted her head enough so that she wasn't muffled “I'm not allowed to talk to strangers” and thank god for the one thing that Stiles had instilled in her daughter's head. The girl after a second moved forward a little bit though, her head tilted, like the little puppy she was, as she looked Derek in the face. “You look familiar.” Lia squinted her eyes as her hand moved to touch Derek's face, there was a lightbulb that seemed to go off in her head as her face lit up in recognition as she brought her hand back clapping them together. “I know you, your in the picture that mommy holds when she cries in the middle of the night.”

“TALIA CLAUDIA HALE!” The words came out of Stiles mouth faster than she could catch them, her face got bright red as Derek turned to look up at her, the look on his face like he just saw a ghost or like he was going to vomit, Stiles didn't know which. She looked at her daughter who was staring up at her with wide panicked eyes “what did I tell you about sharing mommies personal life?”

Her daughter thought for a moment “if i'm gonna do it do it only in front of the pack,” she pointed at Derek but looked up at Stiles “but mommy he smells like pack.”

Her heart dropped into her stomach because of course he would, how did she not think that one through “yeah well he's not.”

Her father was out of the chair he had been in and moving across the kitchen to grab her daughter and direct her back to her room “alright sweet stuff, why don’t we go upstairs back to bed and let mommy talk to the nice man.” Stiles scoffed but her father only glared down at her from halfway up the stairs.

Stiles couldn't believe what she had just done, couldn't believe she had just outed herself. Before Derek could stop her she was heading out the front door because if they were gonna do this right now the only person that was going to be outed tonight was her she did not need her daughter to hear what was about to happen. She was half way down the block when Derek jogged up next to her, grabbing her arm “Stiles stop.” She spun around to look at him and he seemed to flinch at the look on her face even though she couldn't actually look him in the eye. She could look right past the big inflated head but she just couldn't look AT him. “Is that… was that…” 

He couldn't get the words out of his mouth and she didn't know why but that made it possible to look into those oh so familiar blue eyes even though she was infuriated by his sheer presence. “What Derek, is that what?”

His eyes flashed red at her and she shook her head in disbelief because he really just tried to Alpha eyes her. “Are you seriously pissed right now because I’m the one that just found out I have a six year old…” He trailed off seemingly not being able to actual admit it to himself, for the third time.

She looked at him the hatred for him oozing out of her every pore wanting him, no begging him to do something so she could react with the bitter harsh words she had been practicing for so many years. “What Derek?” There was a deep growl that started in his chest like that was going to scare her. Stiles crossed her arms leaning back to look up at him a single eyebrow raised “are you fucking kidding me right now?” She looked him up and down to try and figure out just what it was that he wanted and when she came up empty handed she just asked, she hated playing games. “What do you want Derek, you want to play the victim fine, you want me to tell you that I was dating someone else when you came through, that it's actually his baby not yours and that he beat the shit out of me when he found out about us, fine. I'll tell you whatever the fuck you wanna hear so that after three weeks you can leave us, once again, to go do… whatever the fuck it is that you do.”

The look on Derek's face was a confused one and Stiles knew that he was trying to catch her lie by listening to her heart beat but most of it had been true. She did have a boyfriend when Derek came around last and he did beat the shit out of her but only when he found out that Stiles was pregnant, see there was no way that it could have been his because he had been sterile and really didn't like it pointed out. Derek watched the look on her face and she could tell that he was still listening “if that's true why give her my name.”

Stiles pursed her lips together shaking her head as the lie just simply rolled off her tongue “labor is a bitch Derek, and an epidural can cause some fucked up memory loss, yours was the only name I could remember.” She knew that he could hear the lie but she just didn't care anymore, she held up her hands at his disbelieving look “I can't do this right now”. It was freezing outside and Stiles didn't realize it until she saw her hands shaking and the quick warm breaths causing little white clouds to escape from between her lips. In her anger and desire to get away from the house, she had left without a jacket. Derek grabbed her arm and she flew around his skin too warm against hers and she knew he felt it too “what?”

“We aren't done here” he shrugged out of his jacket and went to put it in on her but she dodged it.

Holding up a single finger at him, she hissed her words out “I swear to God Derek if you put that thing on me I will make sure you will never be able to have another kid.”

He lifted an eyebrow apparently catching her words just the way he wanted, he was always so good at playing her “so she is mine”

Stiles shook her head crossing her arms once more across her chest to try and keep in some of her angry heat. “Your are unfucking believable, of course she's yours. She looks exactly like you fucking Hales.”

His face softened as he read the pained expression that having to look at her daughter and remember him caused “and that kills you doesn't it.” If looks could kill then the one that changed on Stiles face in that moment would have left him a pile of werewolf ash on the ground. He physically took a step back as he held up his hands “just relax…”

Her eyes got wide and the hatred for him was back like a roaring flame that had gasoline added to it. “Relax, relax, I haven't relaxed since you fucked me without a condom and left, since I almost died giving birth to my daughter, since she turned two and grew claws and fangs. Since she turned four and, and couldn't figure out how to control it, since she turned six and shifted into a full wolf.” She stepped closer to him in the heat of the moment anger coursing through her veins making her feel so much stronger than she was cast or not. “Don't you fucking tell me to relax Derek Hale, you have no right. I am done with you right now and I swear on my beautiful baby girl that if you so much as drop a hint that you might be her father I will personally dig the grave that I will bury you in.” Stiles poked him in the chest “you are dead to her.” His face fell and he had to step back from the blow but Stiles had spent the last six years protecting her little girl she wasn't going to let him walk right back in so that he could break her daughter's heart as well. “Now I have to go to work but I will know if you so much as speak a good morning to her.” She turned to leave, thankful that there was nothing more that she felt like she needed to get off of her chest for the moment.

“Its ten o’ clock at night.” It was a desperate attempt to try and get her to stay but she wasn't having any of it.

“It's a bar” she didn't feel like she really needed to explain herself to him, the only reason she responded was so that she could have last word because let's face it Stiles was that person. She left him there in the cold night air while she went back into the house and up to Talia's room, she needed to calm her nerves before she left and the best way she knew how to do that was her daughter. Stiles knelt down next to her babies bed and rested her good hand against her head, lightly brushing her fingers through her hair while the girl slept.

“Feel any better now that you got it all off your chest?” Her father stood in the doorway looking in at his two favorite girls his arms crossed as he leaned against the frame, he knew that Stiles was still hurting and that tore at his heart but he also knew that she wasn't going to get the real relief that she desired by yelling at Derek.

Stiles didn't look back at him because she didn't want to know how disappointed he was in her, instead she kept her gaze on Talia, “I didn't even scratch the surface.”

“Maybe you should stay home tonight, your not supposed to get your cast wet and you’ve had a long day. You look exhausted.”

She huffed, she didn't want to go, the thought of leaving her child within spitting distance of Derek sent Stiles nerves a blaze but she didn't have an option. “If I dont go we won't be able to make the mortgage payment and pay for the medical bills that I just racked up.” Her father let out a huff so she stood and walked over to him, he knew she was right but like her he didn't want to admit it. “I want to stay I really do but we are tight as it is. Please, I know you don't agree with the way that I am handling this but please don't leave him alone with her.” He gave a nod and she left the room to change for work, once dressed she walked down the stairs only to over hear her father and Derek talking.

“I didn't think she was going to react that badly.”

Derek's voice was deep as he responded “but if you thought it was a possibility why invite me?”

“Because I needed you to see what is happening, the moment that Stiles found out she was pregnant she started working two jobs to help pay for the baby stuff. Then when Talia was born she kept working for money to pay for daycare now the girls in private school because Stiles only wants the best for her which is great and it shouldn't be any other way. She is a wonderful mother and is always around when Talia is awake, she's attentive and nurturing and gives that kid whatever she wants but she's wasting away every day that passes. She couldn't breastfeed because she wasn't eating enough, she had postpartum depression for the first two years of Talia's life, she missed Christmas last year because she was in the hospital and now this broken hand thing. Stiles is 30 pounds underweight and tries to hide it under baggy clothes cause she thinks nobody will notice. The pack helps but she takes it all upon herself… I thought just maybe you could…” 

Stiles walked into the kitchen looking at her father like he had just betrayed her because let's face it he had. He had no right to ask Derek for anything, not now, not ever “I have to go to work, and I would appreciate it if you kept my personal life to yourself.”

He gave her a sad apologetic look “Stiles…” but it was too late he had already said too much.

“Don't bother” she grabbed the keys to her Jeep and headed to the bar where she knew that she would be free of people dictating her life to someone who didn't even deserve to know. Luckily Danny was working with her that night which meant that she was spending the evening doing the books in the back. It also meant that she got time to just be in her own head, to try and figure out what it was that she was going to do now that Derek was in town. There was no way to guarantee that she could keep Derek away from her daughter, Stiles couldn't be around for every minute, she had to get sleep at some point, she just needed to think of a plan. She had been there for little over half her shift when she walked out into the front looking down at the pages that didn't seem to make sense, there was just something that wasn't calculating out right. “Danny, do you know what Chris has been buying with…” she looked up to see if Danny was listening but only found Derek at the end of the bar. She jumped and dropped the book on the ground losing the one handed grip that she was able to keep on it while her arm was covered in the cast. Danny was nowhere to be seen and Derek was the only other person in the bar but even so she didn't know why he would have left if there was someone there. Stiles mumbled under her breath which she was quickly learning was becoming a bad habit of hers with the amount of times it had happened just that day. “What are you doing here? And where's Danny?” Leaning down to grab the book, she made sure that the bar wasn't wet before she placed it on the counter because that was what Stiles needed, Chris pissed because his books were sticky.

Derek threw his thumb over his shoulder as the other hand twisted the glass that was in his hand. “He went to take out the trash, he said he would be right back.”

She was seriously going to have to have a talk about him leaving customers in the bar without supervision and her unknowing in the back room, she could have been murder, to be fair standing in front of Derek she kinda wish she had been, if only it meant that she wouldn't actually have to deal with him. “Derek I really don't have the time or the energy for whatever bullshit your about to spout so if you could just not that would be great.”

“I came to drive you home actually”

There was a confused look on her face because why, she had been fully capable to driver herself, hell she had driven herself to the hospital earlier that day with a broken hand. “I still have another hour and a half and I am perfectly capable of driving myself home.”

He just shrugged, now twisting the glass in both of his hands “I know but it's more for your dad and I figure you would rather have me here instead of at the house, with our daughter.”

Stiles knew that he was lying, at least about her father, she knew that after her catching him talking about her he wouldn't ask Derek to come give her a ride home. She knew the words were going to hurt him but good, he needed a taste of what she had been living with. “My daughter” she turned and walked back into the manager's office where she stayed until her shift was over. After which she reluctantly crawled into the passenger seat making no comments to Derek about how she loathed other people driving her car. She also did not mention just how tired she was from the awful long day she had bad and the broken arm that she just rested in her lap. Because Talia was so small when she leeched the pain it only worked for about an hour which meant that right now her hand was throbbing in the cast. With the little energy she had left, she rested her head against the cold window and while she drifted off to sleep a little faster than she expected she thought she felt Derek's hand in hers and the pain leaving her body. Maybe if she hadn't been so bodily tired she maybe would have tried to pull her hand away but now that the pain was gone she slipped into a soundless sleep a lot faster.

The next morning Stiles woke up to Talia poking her nose with her tiny finger, a tradition that had somehow started when Talia had been two barely able to see over the bed. “Mommy” when Stiles didn't answer she continued to poke her nose “mommy, we’re gonna be late”. Stiles grumbled swinging her good arm out to catch her daughter around the waist and pull her into the bed with her Talia’s soft giggling floating into her consciousness. She snuggled the girl close and just when she got comfortable Talia poked her nose again “no more sleeping, the sun is up, you should be too.” 

Stiles threw herself onto her back dramatically sending her daughter into another fit of giggles “alright, alright” she glanced at her daughter “I thought I was the mommy.” 

The girl giggled as she watched Stiles get off the bed to get ready, bouncing up and onto her knees to watch “you are but you always miss your alarm.”

“Oh” it wasn't that she always missed them she just liked it when she got to be woken up from the one good thing in her life. She changed and went into her connected bathroom wiping the sleep from her eyes as she spoke “did you eat?”

Talia nodded when Stiles looked back at her in the mirror “pop pop had cereal with me and the man from last before pop pop left for work, he told me to go and wake you up when he went to leave.”

Well good at least her daughter hadn't been alone with Derek, since Talia had been born and Stiles had gone back to working two jobs they had come up with a system. Since Stiles worked until three in the morning, when her dad could he would wake Talia up and have breakfast with her make sure that she got ready for school giving Stiles the extra sleep. When he left for work he would send Talia up to wake her if Stiles wasn't already up from her alarm. Stiles would take her daughter out to the bus stop, Allison would pick her up after school since she had to pick up hers and Scott's daughter Toria, named Victoria after Allison's mom. After work Stiles would pick her baby up and bring her home, help her with her homework make her dinner and relax a little before putting her to bed at eight and being at work in the bar by nine. Her father would watch her at night, depending on his shifts the pack would jump in when the Sheriff couldn't do something. They had all been her little god sends helping when they could and if plans changed or her father couldn't do it there would be a text sent through the pack chat on who could. It was a miracle for Stiles and she had tried to apologize the first couple of times but they would all shrug it off, it was their way of staying close with their packmates and babies always came first. She shook her head to clear her thoughts “what about your teeth?” She glanced over at the girl who flashed her pearly whites as an answer to Stiles question. “What about your bed?”

“Made”

Stiles threw up her hands before placing then on her hips “well then what are you keeping me around for?”

Her daughter got the biggest smile on her face as she bounced on the bed to show her enthusiasm “because I love you!”

“Oh” she ran over and picked up her daughter off the bed, ignoring the pain in her broken arm, swinging the girl around and smothering her with kisses getting sweet baby giggles in return. She set her on the ground “that's good because I love you too princess. Now go get your shoes on I'll be down in a minute.”

Talia threw her hands up in the air as she ran out of the room leaving the door open, Stiles finished up getting ready before heading down the stairs to see Talia and Derek waiting by the door. She pointed at Derek “stay” she took Talia's hand and led her outside to the bus stop that she would sometimes use, the bus driver was very sweet as she said good morning to Talia looking up at Stiles before nodding towards Stiles arm.

“What happened mama?” The woman's soft features were etched with worry, they had become friends with the little chats that they had in the morning.

Stiles just waved her off, not needing to concern her with the details “just my own clumsiness that's all.”

The other woman sat up a little straighter “sounds like you need a night off with a stiff drink.”

“I need something stiff alright”

She chuckled at Stiles and winked “don't we all,” she gave her a small wave “you be careful at work.”

“You too” Stiles wrapped her arms and the loose cardigan tighter around her body and like every morning that she dropped Talia at the bus, she stood there waving goodbye until it was out of view, Talia would always find a seat in the back so that she could wave as she left as well. Today there was a little bit of a sad smile on her face but Stiles had to get to work and couldn't focus on her daughter's disappointment in her right now. She waited for the bus to disappear around the corner before heading back inside where Derek was waiting for her. 

“Why didn't you drop her off at school?”

She glared up at him, like she needed him to point out her parenting mistakes “not that it's any of your business but I need to be at the shop early so I can work on your stupid car so you can get the fuck out of our home, our town and our lives.”

There was that hurt look in his eyes again as he looked down at her “it is sort of my business it is our daughter.”

The look that spread across Stiles face let Derek know that he had definitely said the wrong thing “she is my daughter. You lost all right to calling her yours when you didn’t come back.”

“Oh my god Stiles” he threw his hands up in the air “don't you think I would have come back had I known I had a daughter.” He let out a huff and his cheeks started to turn pink “we talked about having children, you knew I always wanted a big family.”

It was her turn to lift an eyebrow up at him “I was six and you were twelve, and I didn't know what you wanted to do anymore because apparently fucking a girl of eighteen seemed to be on your list and I didn't guess that one either.”

He buried his hands in his hair and Stiles was waiting for him to pull it out at any moment but he simply looked up at her “why didn't you just call me?”

“On what?! You didn’t leave me a number or even tell me you had a phone. Please Derek tell me how I was supposed to call you?”

There was that tilt to his head as he looked down at her like she had grown another head and at first Stiles had thought that Talia had learned it from Scott but she was definitely wrong. Like all her other traits that made Stiles chest ache, the puppy look she had definitely gotten from her father. “What do you mean you didn't have my number?”

It was Stiles turn to look at him like he was an idiot “what do you mean, what do I mean?” Her phone buzzed in her pocket, it was Scott asking where she was. Stiles held her phone between her finger and her thumb stopping him from asking anymore questions “I have to go, and I'm not really enjoying this anymore so I'm leaving.”

Before Stiles could leave he grabbed her arm which she promptly wanked out of his grip because there was a shock that he always sent through her body that made her want to forgive him and just wrap herself in his embrace. She didn't know why or how it even happened but she had felt the same thing last night when he had tried to put his jacket on her. When she looked up at him though that sad look was on his face once more “I needed to go into town, I was hoping I could catch a ride with you?”

As much as Stiles wanted to say no... no wait scream no, she remembered that they lived a distance from town so she nodded her agreement reluctantly before sliding her shoes on “fine but I want silence from you the entire car ride, one word and I make you walk.” He nodded in agreement to her terms, which she knew would be hard for him but didn't care and walked out to the car. Derek got settled in and Stiles started for town “I'm not dropping you off anywhere you can walk to where ever you wanna go from the shop.”

“That's fine.”

 

Stiles proceeded to spend her days trying to avoid Derek like the plague, which was made a lot more difficult once he got a rental car and then offered his muscle at the shop. She wanted to say no, that it wasn't needed but the minute that Stiles got to the shop Scott was already outside waiting for her to tell her that she was not to do anything on her own. Which meant, since it was his business, he took Derek up on his offer allowing him to pay for the work on his car with his labor. Stiles had never wanted to punch Scott in the stomach as much as she did that day. 

Derek didn't work everyday, thank god, the days that he didn't Isaac or Liam came in to basically do what Stiles would do with Derek. Stiles would map out the problem and then tell him what to do in order to fix it, where he needed to take bolts out of or how much pressure that he needed to apply and how much was too much. She would stand off to the side and point to whatever she needed him to do and of course because Stiles was still Stiles she would take jabs at his ego wherever and whenever she could. It seemed though that the more that she made jabs at him the more he would do to help her out, and it started with helping her with the other projects she had around the shop. 

She didn't know how he found out but there were shelves and pegboard that she had been trying to put up but couldn't seem to get around to do it, what with all the work that she had, that had magically found their way onto the wall one night. At the house he had picked up making dinners, it had always been her thing to make dinner, what with her father normally working but Derek had picked it up since she couldn't do a lot of it with the cast. Of course he split the duty between himself and the Sheriff the nights that he didn't work late but always made sure it was done before Stiles got home from the shop with Talia. Derek even took the time to do the dishes even if he was the one that cooked. Stiles wanted to hate him for taking everything from her but at the same time it gave her more time with her baby.

The worst part about him being there though was that he was actually really good with Talia and the pack and he always listened to Stiles requests which was super annoying because it made it that much harder for her to hate him. If there was a chance that Stiles had to go to work and the Sheriff was working the night shift he would actually contact one of the pack to come stay with him which she only found out when it was Liam he contacted one time and they had been together. Liam then explained that it hadn't been the first time, that he had even contacted Danny and Jackson about it too. Derek also never tried to tell Talia that he was her father even when Talia was explaining to him one morning over cereal that she had gotten her name from her very strong grandmother. Stiles was there for that one and she watched as he had to fight back the tears, the way that he looked at Stiles while her daughter explained how wonderful and awesome her Grandmother was brought a smile to his face that she hadn't seen since they were little. And maybe just maybe that smile and the way that he looked at their daughter may have softened her up towards him just a little bit, of course then she reminded herself that in a week he would be once again be gone from their lives. But he just had a way of making her baby smile and it killed her inside because soon he would be leaving and there was nothing Stiles could do to stop her daughters inevitable heartbreak. She hated him, maybe even more now because her daughter was getting attached and no one else could see the pain that Talia was going to have to deal with when he left.

It was a few days before Derek's car would be done and his exit from their lives. Stiles was at the bar by herself, having let Danny go home early since there were no customers, she had started the inevitable clean up even though there was still an hour left to her shift when Derek walked in the door. Stiles let out a sigh because the bar was the one place that she didn't have to deal with him or the future he was once again thrusting her into, it was also the one place that Stiles didn't have go back and forth over her feelings for him either. “Derek, I am exhausted and don't really have the energy to deal with you right now.”

He came over and sat down on one of the stools, making himself comfortable “what if I said I was going to help you with that?”

She perked up a little bit “your leaving tonight?”

There was a perfect eyebrow that went up and she really wanted to know what his secret was because she was a girl and couldn't get eyebrows like his. “No but that was a good try.”

Stiles shrugged “can't blame a girl for trying” over the last few weeks she had been trying to be more civil with Derek, after getting into another argument with him about something she couldn't even remember at the moment, her father had come to her and asked if she could tone it down a bit. That it was hard for any of them to relax when they were constantly bickering like an old married couple, except that it was actually cute when an old married couple did it. Again it didn't mean that she didn't hate him any less then the day that he had gotten here she was just doing it for her dads sake… well and Talia's too. She looked down at the cast, Talia had taken her up on signing it, then the young girl had insisted that the rest of the pack sign it as well so that she knew she was never alone, and then her daughter pleaded with her to have Derek sign it. Now whenever she looked down at her arm there he was etched into her cast with their daughters name just below it. That was the other thing, she didn't know when but sometime over the last three weeks she had started to call Talia their daughter, never out loud and never in front of Talia but in her head and that scared Stiles to the core.

“I have a proposition for you…”

“No” her head snapped up and she started shaking it before he could even finish.

He looked at her confused “you haven't even heard it yet.”

She shrugged, throwing the bar towel over her shoulder and leaning back against the counter “I don't have to,” she held up her hand as she looked out into the empty bar “see with propositions, you give something and I have to give something back and you see I've given quite a lot to you while you’ve been here.”

There was a smug smile on his face when she finally laid eyes on him “what if I said that the only thing you had to do was continue what you were doing with Talia, continue being the loving caring mother that you already are?”

Stiles lifted an eyebrow still very much suspicious about where this was going but her curiosity getting the better of her “continue.”

He smiled just happy that she was listening to him for once and not diving head first into an argument “I already paid for the rest of this years tuition for Talias school.” Stiles mouth fell agap, she had been wondering why they sent her check back she just thought it was because she didn't have the funds in her account. Derek, noticing that she wanted to say something held up a hand. “Don't bother, it's already done and even if you tell them you don't want it I did it anonymously so they have no where to send it back.” This mother fucker, she crossed her arms over her chest getting a little peeved at his forcible charity, she also didn't know if she was maybe a little impressed by how much he knew her though… she wasn't going to focus on that just yet. “Just hear me out for a second, I set up a savings account and in that account is enough money for Talia to continue her private school career until well into college, if she so chooses there's even enough to go to med school.” Stiles opened her mouth to interrupt but again he held up a hand “if she chooses not to go to college that's fine she will have access to that money when she turns 21.” There was a look on his face and Stiles maybe thought that the man was scared to continue, but he took a deep breath and looked her in the eye, something she had been avoiding the whole time he had been there unsuccessfully but she had been trying. “Before you interrupt this next part just listen, can you do that?” She gave him a nod, was still sceptical as shit but agreed to his terms. “I also set up a checking account, which you will have access to if you decide to take it, in there is enough money to back pay child support that I missed for the last six years, I also put enough in there should you or Talia need anything until she turns eighteen. Should you decide that you don't want it, it too will sit there until Talia is 21 before she has access to it.”

She had been shaking her head no since he had said that she would have access to it “I am not a charity Derek, I don't want your dirty hush money.”

He gave her a hurt look, she had noticed that he had been giving her those looks less and less over the last few days. “It's not dirty hush money Stiles, it's not charity, it's about taking care of something I didn't know I had.” His head fell to look at his hands “I know what it's like to not have a mom,” he looked up at her and she could see the sadness in his eyes “I know you know what its was like without a mom. I don't know, maybe after my car is fixed or one day you get a wild hair up your ass and you decide you don't want me to see her anymore and that's fine, well not for me but it's your decision.” He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts “my point is I want to make sure that she at least has you around because I can see that you put our daughter before everything else and while that is fantastic in every way imaginable you can't do that if you run yourself into the ground. So in return for raising Talia to be the best kid in the world, I want to give you the option to maybe put yourself first every once in a while. Look, you don't have to decide right now, hell you don't have to decide this week, as long as you have the paperwork that money is yours.”

“My daughter” she didn't know why she said it, maybe more out of habit than anything.

Derek looked up at her, a little surprised that was the first thing to come out of her mouth, the sad look from before not leaving his face “your daughter” and it wasn't said with anger, frustration or fear just sadness.

As much as Stiles hated that Derek was right, as much as she wanted to believe that he didn't care for Talia everything was pointing to the fact that he did and it killed her inside. “If I decide to take it” he perked up a bit and she held up a hand “IF I decide to take it, I want a written note saying that there are no conditions to this money, that there are no loopholes that say I have to tell Talia where any of it came from. I also want it to say that I don't have to pay it back or do anything in return. That the savings account will be strictly for her schooling and we can use the other money however I deem necessary.” Stiles liked her lifestyle and even if there was a chance to change it she really wouldn't, she really just wanted to protect the roof over their head and maybe fix her car up a little bit so she didn't have to worry about it starting in the mornings. 

There was a smile on his face that grew “deal, no strings, no conditions.”

She pointed at him “I want it signed and notarized and I want a witness to sign it as well saying you were of sound mind that I did not force you to make these decisions, that I asked for nothing.”

“Got it”

“Good” she pulled the towel from her shoulder and threw in on the counter “now take me home.” His smile got bigger and she hated that she had made him so happy because in a few days he was going to leave her and Talia broken hearted once again but for now she just wanted sleep. It was still an hour before she was supposed to be home but there wasn't anyone in there so she decided she was going to lock up early. 

They drove back to her place in silence, Stiles trying to figure out what she was going to do, she wanted what was best for her daughter and she didn't know what that meant anymore. Saying there good nights in the hallway before they both went off into their seperate rooms, Stiles changed into her favorite sleep shirt. When she was done she noticed a manila folder sitting on her bed, thinking it slightly odd she went over and pulled the papers out only to find the bank documents. She flipped through the first couple of papers just skimming over the documents that would give her access to the accounts which she would look over more thoroughly later. Only when she got to the page about how much money was in each account her heart stopped in her chest. Her hand went to her lips to keep the scream in because there was enough money in there to pay off her home loan, to fix Roscoe, do some repairs on the house and still manage to quit both jobs and that didn't even scratch the surface. The papers fell to the floor as she tried to think about what the fuck he wanted from her, but she hated guessing games she hated trying to figure out what it was that made people do what they did. So she leaned down and grabbed at the papers before her hand stopped once more over a written letter, her eyes scanning quickly over the words she had just spoken not even a half an hour ago. He had actually written what she had said and more, it was already stamped by a notary and signed… by Scott McCall, well son of a bitch. Stiles grabbed the papers and shoved them into the folder before throwing her door open making sure that it didn't hit the wall since it was 2 in the morning and she didn't want to wake her sleeping baby or her grumpy father. Going over to the guest room where Derek was staying she threw that door open too, only that ended badly because there he was, standing with his shirt off and the only thing left covering him was a pair of pajama pants. She wanted to yell and scream but she thought better of it, trying to be considerate of the other two sleeping bodies and instead closed the door behind her before throwing the folder onto his bed. “What the fuck is that?”

He pointed at it “that's the paperwork from the bank…”

“I know what it is.”

Derek actually had the audacity to laugh “then why did you ask?”

She pointed at them like they were covered with anthrax “you said it was enough to pay for 6 years of child support, that's like six years of… of…”

“Stiles” he took a step towards her which caused her to take a step back “our daughter is worth so much more than what I put in there,” he moved his hand back and forth “ the bank said something about a cap…”

Stiles squinted up at him “are you making a fucking joke right now.”

There was a sweet smile on his lips “yes, you used to laugh at them all the time.”

“I was six”

A coy smile pulled at his lips as he leaned forward a bit and dear lord when did he get so close “you were also 18 but to be fair you were doing a lot more than laughing then.”

She pointed up at him “don't, don't do that” don't make me fall in love with you again. Stiles kept that last part to herself though because she could hardly admit that to herself, she wouldn't, couldn't. In three days his car would be fixed and she would be left standing in the middle of the street watching as the tail lights faded from view. Turning to leave, she didn't know if her heart could stand up to this right now but before she reached for the door she had to know. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because Stiles I want you to live better than this, I want you to want for nothing. I want you to have the option to take Talia to Disneyland or New York, Boston or Florida. I want you to show her Paris and Rome, I want you to take her to Greece or India. I want you to be able to take her to see the world but what I want the most is to see you healthy, to know that you will take care of yourself. I want to see the girl before I left broken and abandoned.”

Stiles turned around slowly, not looking at him because she just couldn't right now and grabbed the paperwork off of the bed. She couldn't even make it to her own room, she could hardly keep herself up outside his door even with leaning against the wood. Deep in her mind she knew that he was listening to the sound of her heart breaking all over again as she slide down to sit there placing her head against her arms that she brought up to her knees. Hating the man couldn't even touch what she felt right now, but it wasn't a hatred for him physically but a hatred for what he did to her. The tears streamed down her face as she silently cried to herself, she didn't care if he knew, didn't care if he could hear her overactive heart, she didn't care about any of it.

The next morning Stiles woke up in her bed, not exactly remembering how she got there but also not caring. Her eyes felt swollen from crying herself to sleep and her chest felt empty, void of all emotion. She didn't know what time it was, didn't really care for that matter, that is until she felt the familiar poke to her nose. Stiles didn't have to open her eyes to know her daughter was there so she brought her hand out snatched her baby up and brought her under the covers with her pulling them over their heads so that she could block out the light. Talia giggled her little baby laugh but settled easily enough for Stiles to spoon her.

Because she was six though she didn't stay quiet for too long which to be honest Stiles didn't mind too much “I have something for you mommy.”

Stiles kept her eyes shut as she nuzzled closer “you do?”

“I do, its a note from pop pop I think.”

There was a smile that spread across her face at her daughter's confusion “you think?”

Talia nodded and turned in Stiles arms so that she was facing her “well yeah cause pop pop gave it to me but I didn't actually see him write it.” She held up the small envelope so that Stiles could see, sure enough her name was written on the outside.

Pushing back the covers she sat up in the bed taking the note from her, but before she could actually open it she noticed a bouquet of white tulips. There was a card that stuck out at the top, and her hand itched to grab it but she waited instead looking down at the envelope in her hand. She tore the seal and took the small piece of paper out.

‘Meet me at the address below at noon, bring Talia.’

And that was it, Stiles looked at the paper for any indication of what it meant “huh” it wasn't her father's hand writing on the paper which was odd because she honestly didn't know who it could have been. She looked down at her daughter “and you said pop pop gave it to you.” The girl nodded which only made Stiles more confused, she looked back over to the flowers and grabbed the note from there ripping that envelope open as well.

‘It's not a trap, I promise’

Well that wasn't reassuring at all, she looked down at Talia “is Derek here?”

Talia shook her head “no, I was gonna ask him to have breakfast with me but he wasn't in his room.”

It just got weirder and weirder, she threw back the covers and went to the guest bedroom hoping to maybe see any indication that he had written the note. It not only was empty but everything was gone, his bag, his spare boots, the bed was made, it was like he hadn't even been there. Stiles felt like a brick dropped into her stomach, apparently he wasn't going to wait for his car. Her heart felt even more empty, the disappointment growing the longer she stood there and looked for any sign of him. He had gone, left without so much as a trace, once again no note, no letter no number. She had once again let her feel something for Derek fucking Hale and once again he did everything to bring her right back down. It felt like her world was collapsing around her, she felt herself building those same walls right back up that she had let the tall dark haired man tear down. She thought it was going to be different this time, she thought that maybe just maybe he would stay, if not for her for Talia but once again she had been proven wrong. The clock flashed up at her and she found that she had just enough time to shower before having to go to the mystery spot so she set up Talia on a movie on her bed before hoping in the shower and if there were some tears that mixed with the warm water no one would ever know, she just didn't know how she was going to tell her baby girl. 

They both got dressed and headed down to the Jeep when she remembered that her father had the day off, she tried to call him to see if maybe he knew something about where she was going but it went straight to voicemail. It was all making her a little on edge as she followed the gps that was giving her directions to what seemed like the middle of nowhere. When they finally got to their destination it was a huge three story house, it was beautiful with a wrap around porch, there was a swing in the front with a bay window on each floor. It was Stiles dream home, everything that she had ever wanted in a house was staring her right in the face, it was even the softest of powder blues that she had wanted. And yet it was still completely unfamiliar, of course it didn't help that she didn't drive this far out, like ever. Her father, who was dressed in blue jeans, a red long sleeve shirt and his favorite mechanics jacket, was standing on the front porch with a huge smile on his face. Stiles, very skeptically, got out of the Jeep before reaching back to get Talia out. “What are you doing here, no wait, what am I doing here?”

His smile grew as he leaned down to pick up Talia who she hadn't even realized had run away from her side. “He didn't think you would come in if I wasn't standing out here waiting for you.”

She only grew more confused as she came to stand next to her father “who?”

“Just wait” he led them through the front door that was painted a bright red, just inside the door there was an entry way a small staircase that went up just to the right, a door to both side, the one on the right going into a dining room, the one on the left going into what looked like a huge living room. Stiles felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest, this was the house of her dreams right down to the dark wood stairs and she hadn't told anybody about it since she was six, she had given up on the house when her mother had died. The only person that she had told was… Derek. Her father carried Talia just to the left of the stairs down an open hallway when he noticed that Stiles wasn't following, he looked back at her with a concerned look “Stiles?” He stood in front of the back door, “you coming?” She took a deep breath and willed her feet to move but just before she stepped outside she had to know if it really had everything and glanced to the right to see another door to a huge kitchen and her heart sank. There was panic running through her entire body as she realized that either she was hallucinating or Derek had built her dream house. Just the mere thought that he had not only remembered everything but also that he had actually put everything together made her chest tight and her breathing fast and labored. While she wanted to explore a little more to see just how far he had gone she didn't dare step away from her father and Talia who were both looking at her with concerned faces. 

Once they were outside, Stiles thought that maybe she would get some fresh air to help with the overwhelming anxiety but of course with her luck it didn't. As she stepped out onto the back porch Stiles noticed her pack running around, Erica, Malia, Mason, and Lydia were sitting on lawn chairs watching Liam, Scott, Isaac, Parish, Jackson, Cory, Danny and Boyd play a light game of lacrosse, they weren't actually going full force which was weird since all but one of them were wolves. Her father led her down the back steps and out onto the lawn noticing that past the game of lacrosse Allison and Kira were chasing after Toria. Her father set Talia down who immediately ran to run after her Auntie Allison. 

“What do you think?”

Stiles jumped at the sound of Derek's voice already filled with anxiety, her heart trying to beat out of her chest, spinning around she saw that he was manning the grill with Chris and Melissa watching closely a beer in each of their hands. She tried to stop the growing pain in her chest seeing as how she had all the attention of the supernaturals which didn't surprise her at all with the way her heart was beating and the way her breathing was struggled to be normal but she tried her best to get her words out anyway even if it meant forcing them. “What… what is happening right now, who… who's house is this?”

Derek's smile got bigger even with the concern in his eye as he held out the spatula to Chris “it's mine”

Her throat closed off and she brought her hand to grab at her throat first digging then scratching, the words reverberated around her skull. This couldn't be happening, Stiles was prepared for Derek leaving not for, for Derek staying. “Your… your…” her chest was tight and she was struggling to get breath. Her body was simultaneously trying to get as much oxygen as she could into her body while also closing her throat and her chest. She stepped back towards the stairs, towards her Jeep but she didn't realize how close she was and instead fell backwards right onto her ass. She couldn't do this, she looked up to see not only the wolves but the humans and banchee all staring at her the same terrified looks on their faces, Melissa had her hand out as if she had been ready to catch her, even Chris who had never cared for her, looked like he wanted to rush to her side. It was all too much, too much for Stiles to handle so she did the only thing that she could think to do, she got up and she ran, back through the house almost tripping over herself her hand going out to catch her. Only her vision was so blurry that her hand didn't actually find anything to balance her on so she went down instead, her hand never found the floor though instead hitting a warm hand. She didn't know who she was going to see when she looked up but the last person she thought would be there was Derek.

“Its okay Stiles, breath,” she tried to push away from him but he only held onto her hand tighter “I'm right here, think about the pack, they're right outside, they want you to be safe, I want you to be safe.” But she couldn't think of them, couldn't be what they all wanted her to be, whatever that was it was too much. She couldn't forgive the man in front of her either she couldn't deal with the fact that he might not leave that he was going to stay here and see her every day causing her heart to break over and over again. He was going to live in a house that they had built together when they young and she was going to have to eventually watch him bring someone else into their home because he would never want her, never did. Her chest got tighter and it was getting harder and harder to bring air into her lungs or calm her beating heart and without those things she clung to him, moved forward so that she could bring her casted hand up to his shirt and tried to beg him to not leave her alone but nothing came out, nothing could. 

And in that moment Derek did something that she never thought would happen again, he pushed his lips into hers. It was soft at first as he brought his hand up to the back of her head to keep her there and maybe she didn't know why he wanted it so bad but she wasn't exactly pushing him away either. No instead the hand that had been in his came next to her casted one and twisted in his shirt not caring how desperate it made her seem. She wanted to remember this, take in as much as she could, remember the way that he touched her, how his lips felt against her own because while it was happening now she knew after tonight it was never going to happen again. He wouldn't want her after this not broken, battered and bruised, this wasn't the woman that he had been with those six years ago. It was Derek that was the one that pulled back and Stiles fell back against the wall as she looked up at him her mind reeling from the panic attack and the kiss.

“Why would you do that” her voice was barely a whisper that she could hardly hear herself and what she did hear didn't sound like her.

Derek's voice wasn't any better “I didn't know what else to do, you weren't calming down and I panicked.” To be fair her breath was coming a lot easier and her chest was a hell of a lot less tight even her mind was focused just on him. He put his arm out to help her up “just come talk to me for a second. You and me.” She allowed him to help her up and into the living room and when he helped her sit down and sat on the coffee table in front of her her body moved without her control. Her hand up to slap him across the face, the skin on skin contact echoing around the room, her hand come back stinging to cover her mouth because oh dear god she just did that. Stiles was expecting to see Derek's Alpha eyes as he turned back from the force that caused him to turn his head out of habit more than anything, he was a wolf after all, only when he looked at her he just nodded those piercing blue eyes staring into hers “I deserved that.”

“How long?”

He looked at her confused “how long what?”

Stiles looked up at him her face blank terrified of what his answer was going to be but still wanting to know for preparation purposes “how long are you staying?”

“Until they hall my werewolf ass out in a pine box.”

“Mountain ash” her body, including her mouth moving before she could actually think was really annoying Stiles.

He lifted an eyebrow “what”

Stiles looked him in the eye, swallowing the knot in her throat “not a pine box, a mountain ash box,” she gave him a small smile, something that hadn't been directed at him the past three weeks. “I'm gonna make sure your wolfie ass stays dead.”

The smile on his face was playful, one that she hadn't seen in six years “please do, I have no desire to be Peter.”

Her smile fell a little as she realized what this meant, she looked down at her hands that were in her lap “this doesn't change anything, with Talia, not now.” She looked up at him and there was a sadness to his eyes that took away from the playfulness that had been there previously “maybe someday, just not now.”

There was maybe just a glimmer of hope there but he held up his hands “I didn't expect it to.” but it did, it changed everything. 

Stiles took the papers to the bank the next chance she got, she signed them and the first thing she did was pay off her home loan, she never wanted to worry about a roof over her daughters head again. The second thing she did was walk into the bar the night Derek Hale moved back to town, permanently and quit her job at the bar. Her father allowed her two days to catch up on sleep since she no longer was going to get three to four anymore, he allowed her a week to get back to a normal person schedule. It took longer than that but neither her father or Derek ever complained. It was Derek that started to watch Talia, picking her up and dropping her off in the morning taking a shift with the rest of the pack of course Stiles always asked him first because she knew that he felt like he had missed everything and she knew he also hoped he could catch up on some of it. 

It took Stiles a month to come to believe that Derek wasn't actually leaving, in that month though he brought his sister Cora to live with him. Derek and Stiles both continued to work at the shop together seeing as Stiles hand was still in a cast, he even so much as helped her work on Roscoe which she was a little reluctant about at first but eventually she let him touch her baby since Stiles worked on his. She kept her job at the shop, since technically it was still hers and Scotts, Stiles didn't care that with the money Derek gave her she could have quit both jobs, she loved working on cars and it would stay that way.

Derek held a pack dinner ever Saturday night at his house for bonding purposes and because everyone was always busy with life they never actually got to see each other all together so Derek insisted and since it was Scott's pack he was the one to give the okay. Since they were both Alphas they decided that they would be such together, since it was one hell of a rag tag group they decided that since Scott and Derek were such opposites it would be good for them to work together. Which actually worked out a lot better than expected as they were different but they complimented each other. So every Saturday became reserved for pack days and no one was allowed out of it, not even the parents. They would all come over around noon and spend the rest of the day at his house just being together, playing board games, watching tv, playing video games, puppy piling in the living room it was all done. 

Talia had become so comfortable with Derek and his home that she had even fallen asleep at the house a few times and it only took a handful of those times to want to live there permanently. Derek had built multiple rooms, one specific for the baby wolves which was Talia's and Torias favorite. Stiles was getting better with Derek being around, she would even come over early on Saturdays to help him prepare for everyone and was always the last to leave, that is if they left. Most Saturday nights were spent in her own designated room at Derek's house spent wondering what the wolf was doing in his own room.

It was all getting very normal, she even got her cast off which made Saturday prep a lot easier and Stiles could honestly say that her happy cheerful attitude had even come back a little bit. That is until Stiles and Talia came home one day to everything in their house destroyed. The kitchen chairs were broken and in pieces on the floor, the table looked like somebody had been body slammed down on it, there were banister supports missing and on the floor, her couch had claw marks, fluff and springs poking out, the pillows were in shreds thrown around the room. It made Stiles heart break she had spent so much time collecting all the stuff she had actually wanted and now it was gone. That wasn't important at the moment though, she dropped down onto one knee and took Talias shoulders in her hands and dropped her voice “I need you to focus baby, I need you to tell me if you hear any other heartbeats in this house and I need you to do it quick.” 

Talia bowed her head and shut her eyes really tight, and Stiles knew that she was putting all her efforts into just listening. She started to shake her head and when she finally opened her eyes she lifted her gaze to meet Stiles where they were flashing the gold of a beta “there's no one here but me and you mommy.”

“You sure baby girl?”

She nodded again “the closest heartbeat is next door, Uncle Scott's been training me, Derek said I've been doing really good.”

“You have been baby I'm so proud” she stood up and looked around “real good baby” Stiles brought her phone up and dialed the first number that she could think of, only it wasn't the person even she had been expected.

The deep voice came over the line “Stiles?”

“Derek” her voice was sad and soft, she knew her daughter was feeling the pain that came off of Stiles in waves as she clung to her leg.

Derek seemed alert when he spoke again like he had even heard it in her voice “Stiles, what happened, what's going on?”

Her grip on the phone tightened as she bowed her head placing her hand against their daughters head, the tears pushing at her eyes “some,” she cleared her throat trying to keep the knot down so she wouldn't cry in front of their little girl “someone broke into my house.”

“I'm just around the corner, call the Sheriff.” 

He hung up and Stiles felt empty, not just at the loss of her house but also because he had hung up so quickly and she wasn’t quite sure about the second one. She called her dads cell phone, only he didn't answer so she called the station to have Parish answer, he had gotten just as close to the pack as everyone else and when he spoke he sounded just was worried as Derek had “Parish, I need you to get ahold of my dad.”

“Are you okay Stiles?” His voice was calm but searching, like he needed more information before he set himself in motion.

“Someone's been in my house” she looked around again, the book case thrown to the floor the pictures of her mother and father broken and scattered all over the hall.

There was a pause as he used the radio to get to her father, she could hear it crackle over the phone so she waited tell he came back to her “are they still there, have you checked to see if anyone else is in the home?”

She looked down at Talia, she trusted that the girl had been right, she was scared and from what Stiles understood from the pack it made it a lot easier to hear when you felt like your life was in danger. “It's just us, Talia made sure before we even called.”

Talia was really becoming quite the little natural and Stiles and the pack couldn't be more proud so when Stiles told Parish there was no one in the house he knew better then to second guess her. “Alright Stiles I want you to stay on the phone until your dad shows up, just in case, I've also text Scott and Derek so their both on the way too. Is there anything missing?” Stiles didn't want to admit that she had already called Derek, she didn't want it to seem like she ever thought of him first… even though her fingers had already betrayed her by dialing his number first instead of Scotts or her fathers.

She looked around again, taking in everything that was broken, even the little stuff “the TVs on the ground broken, laptops still sitting on the roll top desk and the PS4 is still sitting in the entertainment unit so I'm going to guess that's a no on the stealing things.”

He huffed “that's odd, does it look like someone was looking for something?”

Stiles shook her head even though he couldn't actually see her it was more of a reflex then anything “no it actually looks more like there was a fight, like a supernatural fight actually. Has there been any noise complaints anything to indicate that something happened?”

Parish moved the phone so that he wouldn't shout into the mouthpiece leaving it all muffled on her end as he yelled out to the entire department asking if anyone had got anything about the Stilinski home. There was a pause while Stiles couldn't hear anything and she looked down at her daughter who was shaking her head. It was a second later that Parish came back “no nothing.” 

Just then there was a soft knock on the door and Stiles went to look out the peephole to see Derek and she had never been more relieved to see him in her life. Well that wasn't true the last time he had saved her from getting her throat ripped out so she had been pretty relieved then as well so it was at least in the top five. “Hey Parish Derek's here.” She opened the door and let him in as Talia moved to reach for Derek to pick her up, which he did as if it were second nature which Stiles thought he had been getting a lot of practice with that recently. He stood close to her as he seemed to be listening to both Parish and his surroundings. 

“Alright Stiles, I'll find out what happens when your dad gets back.”

“Kay” she hung up the phone and looked up at Derek who had Talia on his hip like she didn't way the 55 pounds that she did. Stiles took a deep breath and now that Derek was here she felt like she was about to fall apart. “I'm” she had to take a deep breath to stop the crack in her voice “I'm sorry. You were the first person I thought to call.”

There was a soft smile that tugged at his lips as he brushed the back of his fingertips against her cheek and Stiles didn't know why that felt so comforting but she didn't care, not right now so she leaned into his hand for a moment. “It's okay Stiles, you don’t ever have to be sorry.” He let his hand drop and looked in the kitchen and up the stairs before back at her “do you know what they were looking for, or why they were here?”

She shook her head “I haven't left the front door, I thought it would be safer.” Stiles glanced into the living room when something odd caught her attention. Moving closer, she found a frame upside down smack dab in the middle of the room and it looked like it had been stomped on, she bent down and picked it up, turning it over. It was possibly one of Stiles favorite pictures, something she wouldn't admit to anyone but herself for self preservational reasons but still. It was of her, Derek and Talia, Talia between them as they sat in Dereks backyard at one of the pack dinners, you could see Scott, Allison and Liam in the background running after Toria. They all looked so happy, even her. She didn't remember taking the picture or even putting in a frame but she had seen it one day and fell in love, deciding that it wasn't going to ever leave. There were shards of glass still sticking to the frame and she tried to avoid them as she slide the picture out and held it up for Derek to see “I'm going to say it was because of something in this picture.”

Derek came to stand closer taking the picture from her, Talia still perched on his hip “that narrows it down a bit,” his gaze met hers “but I’m going to assume since it was your house it has to do with you. Do you know anyone that might do this, that might want to hurt you?”

There was a short, clipped, fake laugh that came out of her as she looked around the rest of the room “you sound like my father, but no I can't think of anyone.”

The Alphas nose scrunched up, his eyes glowing red as he too looked around “what's that smell?” Stiles took a deep breath but didn't smell anything so she just shrugged and shook her head, he looked at Talia “you smell it pup?”

Talia took a deep breath before nodding “yeah, but its not familiar.”

Derek set her down “go pack your spare school uniforms and anything else you might want.” 

Their daughter looked up at her with question in her eyes as if to make sure that Stiles would be okay and she nodded, there were sometimes that Stiles really hated being human. “Just be careful on the stairs.” She glanced around the room and seeing everything again without her baby watching made the tears prick at her eyes once more. So much for paying her home loan off so they always had a roof over their heads, maybe she could stay with Scott or Isaac, she was going to have to stay with one of the wolves it was pack protocol.

Derek turned to her as if reading her mind “your gonna come stay with me” she went to argue but he held up a hand “I've got the most room, Talia already feels comfortable there and I hate to do this to you but I would feel much better if you girls were with me, for my wolfs sake.” Stiles sighed, she really didn't want to agree with him but she was going to have to stay with someone, her house was destroyed and at least with Derek she wouldn't have Talias legs in her back cause they were forced to share a bed. Something must have registered for Derek cause his head tilted “it smells like another wolf was in here but not pack.”

Stiles eyes got wide as the front door opened to show her father and Scott, she went over grabbed Scott by the collar before looking at her dad “I just realized something, Talia is upstairs, I don't want her alone and I need Scott.” 

He caught what she was saying and he ran upstairs while Stiles dragged Scott into the room. He tried to shove her off or at least loosen her hand “Stiles, what the hell?”

She ignored him until he was standing next to Derek in the middle of the living room before letting him go “take a deep breath?” He looked at her confused but he did as she said “does it smell familiar?”

His eyebrow lifted in confusion and then recognition and then confusion again “yeah yeah it does.”

“Fuck” Stiles ran her hands through her hair which was a little easier now that the cast was off but that didn't help calm her over active nerves now.

“Stiles it smells feral, he's dangerous”

She started pacing the room something that was a lot harder to do now that her house was destroyed “he was dangerous before.”

Derek looked confused and she didn't blame him because she hadn't exactly told him anything… yet. Now she was actually going to have to “I'm confused, who is it?”

Stiles shook her head as she continued to pace, biting her nails as she tried to come up with a plan or solution. “It's a long, very messy story” she stood up and looked at him because she knew that he was going to need to know. She went back to pacing and biting her nails “one I will tell you when Talia can't hear.”

Derek stood in her way and she almost ran straight into his chest, his hands coming up to brace her if that were to happen which caused Stiles to flail all the more. Once she settled and he caught her gaze “it doesn't matter, you and Talia and the Sheriff will be safe with me.”

Scott pointed at him “I like that idea”

She rolled her eyes and looked at her best friend “of course you would” she pointed up the stair as her father and Talia came down. “Let me go grab a few things.” Stiles walked past her father “leave Talia with Scott” he looked at her weird and she patted his shoulder “your staying with Derek too.”

He tucked his thumbs into his pants puffing out his chest “I'm an officer of the law.”

Scotts voice rang out since her father followed her back up the stairs and he was in the other room “your still going, feral werewolf means all human pack members are to be with supernatural creatures with claws at all times.” He ducked his head out of the living room to look up at the Sheriff “you agreed to the rules when we all made them remember?” Stiles laughed because it was the rule he had suggested when the pack had come together to make these rules, Stiles and Scott had been against it.

Her father huffed “fine, I guess I'll be packing too then but Parish stays out of my car this time.” He mumbled as he went into his room “I just got the upholstery redone from that last time.”

Stiles laughed as she went into her room, it wasn't a funny situation now but the last time they had had a bad supernatural it had crashed into the window of the Sheriff's car which then triggered Parish to shift… in the Sheriff's passenger seat. The one thing about laughing is as your doing it you, for a brief moment, forget what your doing. And just like that Stiles smile fell as she looked over her room “No!” The dresser that had taken months to find, sand down and paint like she was in space was just inside the door thrown to the ground, a hole was smashed into the back and it was tilted on its side so that drawers could be pulled out and broken into pieces. The clothes that fell out of them along with the ones that had come from the closet were all ripped and shredded. Her bed was torn apart including the blanket that Stiles had made from Talias old baby clothes. There was pounding on the stairs as the wolves came running up rushing into her room, claws and fangs out just in case they had missed something. When they got in the room and saw that there wasn't a threat they relaxed. Scott looked around “dude. And here I thought you were messy in high school.” The glare that Stiles threw at him made him squirm “too soon?” He didn't wait for an answer just throwing his thumb over his shoulder “I'll wait downstairs for you guys.”

There was a pair of pants close to her that she picked up noticing the hole and sticking her finger through it to show Derek who had stayed “he got everything.” Her shoulders sagged as she noticed her favorite night shirt, she had been trying to hold in the tears but now that Talia was downstairs she let it all out “come on” she picked it up and it practically fell apart in her hands, she turned to show Derek, the tears falling down her cheeks. “This was my favorite shirt, he couldn't spare me that.”

Derek's eyebrows furrowed together “I've been looking for that for six years, that was my favorite shirt.”

Stiles placed her hands on her hip, tears still wet on her face “obviously it didn't mean that much to you or you wouldn't have left it behind.”

There was that sweet soft smile on his lips again “well at least one of us was enjoying it.”

She huffed throwing it on the bed and buried her face in her hands “yeah but now it's gone forever.”

When he spoke again his voice was close to her ear and his hand came to rest lightly on her shoulder “I have more at home.”

Stiles turned looking up at him and wiping the tears from her face with a sniffle “yeah but this shirt was from the night” she leaned in and lowered her voice so eavesdropping werewolves couldn't over here “Talia was conceived.”

That one perfect eyebrow lifted as a cocky smile pulled at his lips “that's why you kept it? Not because of the awesome…”

She held up a finger over his lips her own smile forming at the thought of them together “we both know how good you are okay, don't fish for compliments… it's unbecoming.” His smile grew bigger so she knew he took it as the joke that it was before letting her shoulders sag once more. He had made her laugh and that relaxed her enough to push past all of it. She went over to grab the important documents box from her closet calling for Derek and pointing up to where her tiny heavy safe was. “Go sourwolf go” he lifted an eyebrow but went to grab it, as she just shrugged and left the closet. She took one last look around the room as Derek came to stand next her, looking up at him once he stopped. “There's literally nothing left here that I can take, everything has holes or claw marks.”

The Sheriff went back to the station putting an alert out on the man that had torn their house apart. Scott went back to his place telling Stiles that he would inform the rest of the pack that her or Talia were not to be alone. His mother was staying with Argent, which may or may not have creeped him out a little bit, Mason would be staying with Corey at Liam's house and Danny would be with Jackson and Lydia. The wolves and Lydia, simply because no one wanted to tell her that she couldn't protect her little niece, would take turns staying with Stiles when she wasn’t with Derek. Which of course left them to go to the Alphas home where both Derek and Scott thought they would be the safest, not that that hadn't already been the plan but they were just gonna let Scott think it was his idea. Talia didn't want to go to bed alone, which was understandable from Stiles point of view so they turned on the TV in the living room, turned out all the lights and let Talia fall asleep between then. Her legs were stretched over Derek's and her head rested in Stiles lap, she softly ran her fingers through her daughters hair, a calming trick that she had learned when the girl had been younger. On one of the commercial breaks she looked down at the sleeping baby, getting lost in the last few years.

Stiles took a deep breath and prepared herself for what she was about to say “I wasn't lying about having a boyfriend the last time you came through. He was a werewolf but was somehow sterile, something about taking a wolfsbane bullet to the crotchal region, he knew because he had been married previously and his wife really wanted a kid. He got tested and he found out he couldn't have them, she left him, he lost it. It should have all brought up red flags and at the time I guess it did but I have this thing about falling for guys that are damaged. I guess because it makes me feel better about being damaged myself.” She paused to try and swallow the lump in her throat, clearing it to make sure “he knew I was pregnant before I did and when he was sure, when I came out and told him, after I knew I was sure he beat the crap out of me. He left me barely breathing and I'm not even sure why, maybe he actually cared for me or maybe he thought that he had killed her and I was going to have to live with it.” Stiles continued to run her hand through their daughters hair and she realized it was a calming effect for not just Talia but for her too. “Scott found me after and got me to a hospital and they said that it was a miracle that my baby was alive. I knew it wasn't a miracle” she looked up into his glowing red eyes “but a wolf. An Alphas cub.” There was a single tear that slid down her cheek that Derek caught with his thumb. “You left me to die, you wrote out my death sentence and didn't even bother fulfilling it yourself.” She wasn't angry or pissed at him anymore, just confused and it made the tears fall harder.

Derek leaned the few inches to put their foreheads together “I'm sorry Stiles, so sorry, believe me when I say, had I known any of it was going to happen I would have never left.” 

“Why did you have to leave?” it was a plea, she was begging for a good answer to why she had to endure so much.

He lifted his head and she knew that the answer that she was going to get seemed pathetic in his own head now that he knew the truth. Nothing was worth the pain she went through. “I was only here to meet with the contractors to start work on the house and then I heard that the pack Cora was staying with had been attacked and I had to make sure she was okay. Why didn't you call Laura, Scott had her number.”

“I did” it came out a bit too loud and Talia stirred in her lap, she swallowed and tried again “two months after you left I called Laura and I told her that if you stopped by then to please have you call me that I was pregnant and, and I needed help.”

“Two months, you called two months after I left here?” 

She nodded trying to search his face for any clues that might indicate that he had gotten the message but there was none, his face a mask of pain “Yes”

He sat back against the couch with a confused look on his face, he was hurt and not by anything that Stiles had told him. “I was with Laura two months after,” he looked over at her “I was staying at her place, I was staying with her.”

“She never told you?”

Derek shook his head “no”, he was just about to say something when his head went up as he tried to listen to something all emotions from the previous conversation gone as a new set replaced them. Even Talia woke up, something grabbing her attention even in sleep. “The closet in the room your staying is lined in mountain ash, when you close the door it'll complete the circle.” He looked back at her and she could see the fear in his eyes “take Talia up there now.” Stiles stared at him for a moment, wanting to say something, anything but she just didn't know what, he placed his hand against her cheek “go Stiles, I'll be fine.”

She nodded grabbing her baby in her arms and running upstairs to her room, as she set Talia down she remembered that her gun with wolfsbane bullets was sitting downstairs still in its lock box. There was a loud shattering of glass and Stiles looked towards the door, when there was a loud growl it broke her from her trans and she looked back down at Talia who had a terrified look on her face. “I'll be right back baby.”

Her daughter's eyes widen and she reached her arms up to try and grab for her “Mommy?” Stiles closed the door even though it killed her to see her daughter so scared and watched as it glowed purple for a second. Her daughter pounded her fists against the door and Stiles knew she was scared, knew there were going to be claw marks in the wood “Mommy don't leave me please.”

She knelt down in front of the door “Princess” she took a deep breath “I need you to be brave princess, I need you to do…” she swallowed the lump in her throat “to do what daddy taught you, I need you to slow your breathing and your heart rate down real slow, remember?”

Talia had stopped clawing at the door as Stiles explained what she needed to do “what daddy taught me.” She said it with such ease and Stiles realized that maybe she had made the wrong decision this whole time. She waited with her forehead pressed against the wood for her daughter to stay calm, “I need to make sure that daddy is okay, I'll be right back princess just stay as quiet as you can.” Stiles ran back down the stairs, she was three steps from the the entryway when Gavin was thrown from the living room into the kitchen.

His mocking tone seeped out from the kitchen “I know she's here, I can smell the cheating bitch and her bastard.”

There was a deep growl that came from Derek “dont talk about my mate or my cub that way.” She watched as Derek lunged across the entryway all fangs, claws and ears towards where Gavins voice had come from and Stiles took the opening to run into the living room.

She slide down onto her knees, stopping perfectly in front of the small firearms safe that sat on her important papers and fumbled with the lock, her hands were shaking so hard that it made it almost impossible for her to push in the numbers. “There you are you little bitch.” Stiles didn't let his voice break her concentration as she finally got it unlocked. The gun was sitting in there but no magazine, “I'm about to make sure that you can't ever cheat on anyone again” she could feel him stalking towards her but she focused on pushing the safe off of the box with all her important papers in it. “Then I'm going to go upstairs where your little bastard is hiding and ripe her throat out and then just for shits and giggles I'm going to ripe your mates throat out.”

“You know what I always hated about you” she grabbed the magazine from one of the folders and slammed it into the gun before spinning around and pointing it at the other wolf. “You talk too much” she aimed and fired hitting him in the shoulder.

There was a cocky grin on his dark face that Stiles didn't like, he looked down at his chest before turning back to her “you tried that already remember.”

Stiles aimed at the other shoulder “that was my father's weapon this is mine.” She pulled the trigger and it shot him again, the first one was just a regular bullet used for home protection, the other laced with wolfsbane which caused him to stagger back but only long enough to dig in his foot and lung at her. 

He picked her up by her throat and Stiles started to choke, coughing and sputtering as her body became deprived of oxygen, she tried to reach the ground to get some sort of leverage on him but he just snarled at her and threw her across the room. There was no way that Stiles could slow herself down before she slammed into the wall her back hitting with the most force, sending sharp pains through her entire body, as she sagged onto the ground. Her vision went fuzzy and her shoulder and hip were the first to hit the ground causing those joints to flare in pain. The world around her was spinning as the wind got knocked out of her. Bringing her hands under her to push herself up she tried to look for the gun but her vision was still so blurry, when she was finally able to focus through the shooting pains in her body she looked just in time to see Derek come up behind him.

“No one hurts my mate” he grabbed Gavin's head in his hands and snapped his neck and when he knew for sure that the other wolf was dead he ran over to where Stiles was letting herself fall onto her back. Of course that just sent a new title wave of pain that streamed through her system as she went back to laying in a heap on the ground. Derek's concerned face came into her, still fuzzy around the edges, vision “Stiles are you okay?”

She groaned trying not to move her sore muscles even though she was still her spastic self “remember when we were young and could oww” she tried to lift her hand to settle on her stomach which was apparently a horrible idea “easily bounce back from battles, that was great.”

There was a soft smile on his face “that was like two years ago for you Stiles.”

Stiles moaned, she was sure that she was going to have a bruise done her back later, as well as on her shoulder and hip. “I know I miss those days.”

 

He let out a soft chuckle “here” he took her hand and leeched her pain and it was like all the muscles released every bit of tension in her body.

It was like a really good orgasim as every pain in her body just left “god I love you” her eyes flew open and she looked at him “not you… I mean I have feelings… well not feelings but… you know like pack… things.”

The smile on Derek's face told her that she was really getting nowhere with this so she just sighed and laid her head back down on the ground to bask in her lack of pain. Something must have registered in his head though because his eyebrows furrowed together. “Wheres Talia?”

“In the closet” Derek helped her up and they both ran to where Talia was, well that wasn't true, Stiles leisurely walked up because she was not going to irritate her muscles after having the pain go away. It also meant that when Derek went for the door and he was thrown backwards because of the mountain ash barrier Stiles got a little laugh as she stared down at him. “Not as easy as you thought?” He playfully growled up at her and she went over to throw the door open wide enough for her daughter to see Derek.

Talia looked between the two of them before jumping up “Daddy” she threw her arms up and while Stiles wanted to be hurt that their daughter had chosen Derek over her after a big scare she had to remind herself that Talia had been waiting to know who her dad was for a very long time.

The look that was on Derek's face was surprised but thrilled that his little girl had called her daddy, he picked her up but turned to Stiles who just shrugged “I may have let it slip.”

Their daughter grabbed Derek's face in both her hands so that he would look at her “it didn't slip daddy, she said it.” 

“Child” Derek didn't seem to notice as he kissed Talia's forehead holding onto her as tightly as Talia was holding onto him. Stiles felt like she was invading on a personal moment but she couldn't exactly look away from the sweet moment either.

Talia leaned back to look at both of them “can we all sleep together tonight?”

Derek looked at Stiles as if asking for permission, which she gave him a slight nod to and Derek turned back to their daughter “I think we can do that, why don't you run upstairs to my room and get comfy while your mom and I talk to your grandfather.” She nodded excitedly and when Derek set her down she ran up the stairs to his room. Stiles took Derek's hand much to his surprise, and hers to be honest and they went downstairs to call the Sheriff and Scott. While they waited Stiles rummaged through Gavins pockets, not sure what she was looking for but to maybe see if there was any indication that someone else might be coming for her and her daughter. What she wasn't expecting to find was a crumpled up paper that had been neatly folded and unfolded multiple times shoved into his wallet. At first Stiles thought that maybe it was going to be a picture of them seeing as how he had come after her but when she unfolded it she was shocked at what it actually was. 

It was a letter from Derek, it explained to her that he got a call from Cora early in the morning explaining that her pack was being hunted and picked off, it said that he loved her and as much as he didn't want to leave his mate behind he needed to check on his sister. He stated that in two days he would would make sure to be in an area where his cell would work and if she gave him a call then he would know that she felt the same way. If he didn't get a call he promised to leave her alone but that he would have to come back at some point to live in his house and that if she didn't feel the same way he hoped it wouldn't be awkward between them because at least they would have their friendship. Stiles heart felt like it was breaking all over again, the letter looked like it was old and she knew that it was from the night he had visited last. She slowly sat on the floor as her head spun with all the new information, he hadn't left her… Well he did but for a good reason and he had actually left a number for her to call she had just never got it. Which meant that not only did Gavin know that she had been pregnant but that he had also found the note before Stiles and knew that she had cheated on him. 

Derek's voice pierced her thoughts “Stiles?”

She turned to look up at him those brilliant blue eyes filled with concern and confusion “you left a note”

He came to sit down in front of her, his eyebrows furrowed while his whole expression filled with worry the longer he looked at her, he even took her hand in his trying to leech pain. It was an entirely different pain though, one he couldn't take “what?”

Stiles couldn't believe it, all this time she had thought that Derek had left without so much as a word but it hadn't been true, he had left her an explanation for everything and she had just thought the absolute worst of him. He had called her mate in the letter and when he had been fighting Gavin and Stiles had known since they were six but she had always thought he didn't think the same way and then when he left she was sure he didn't think that way. Everything that she had been mad about these last six years was wrong. Between Gavin and Laura they had prevented them from being the family that they should have been. Those piercing blue eyes that had calmed her when she was only six herself, would calm her panic attacks, with a simple hug he could change her entire day, the same ones that would always make sure that she was safe, always protecting her first looked back at her now with concern and fear. Her voice came out raspy and unrecognizable to her own ears “you left me a note” she held up the worn out piece of paper for him to see “I… I never got it.”

His gaze went from her to the piece of paper “you didn't get it?” She shook her head in response “you thought I just left you?” Her head fell and there was a tear that fell, the hand holding up the letter falling into her lap as well, she was so convinced that he was a bad person that it never occurred to her that maybe Gavin had found out a lot sooner. She had been convinced that Derek had been an untrustworthy ass when really it had been her. Derek placed his hand under her chin so that she would look up at him, when those blue eyes looked at her there was so much certainty in them. “I would never hurt you intentionally, I just thought that you may have regretted your decision.”

She shook her head placing her hand over his that was against her cheek “never” 

There was a sweet smile that played at his lips “so you wanted it just as much?” She nodded and his smile grew as he leaned forward to place his lips softly against hers and while she wanted to jump back into everything they had had before she was still going to have to work on it, work through everything she had been thinking these last six years. This time though she was going to allow it because not only had she been wrong about telling Talia about her dad but she had also been wrong regarding everything she had ever thought about Derek.

“The only two people you will ever find that would make out in front of a dead body.” Stiles jumped away from Derek, her fingers going up to her lips as she looked up to where her dad and Scott were standing in the doorway. Her dad pointed between them “does this mean that you two are working things out and I don't have to hear you guys bicker at each other anymore?”

Stilea blushed “slowly” she looked at Derek “I love you and I've always thought you were my mate but it's been a long time of thinking the same way, I don't know that I can just jump back into…”

Derek squeezed her hand “Its okay, I understand” she smiled at him, thankful that Derek was still the man that wanted to save and protect her even if it meant holding off himself. 

They gave their statement to her father and he had the coroner come pick up the body, by the time everything was finished and everyone left it was close to three in the morning. They both made their way up to Derek's room where their daughter was already fast asleep, thank god because Stiles didn't need a cranky baby in the morning. Crawling in on either side of her to encase her in the love that she would have for the rest of her life and the love that Stiles had been depriving her of, Derek placed his hand against Stiles cheek “I love you.”

She smiled and felt the blush on her cheeks “I love you”

Talias small voice came from between them “does this mean I can have a sibling soon?”

Stiles smiled down at her daughter before looking up at her mate because while she still had to work through her issues she didn't mind the idea of several more pattering feet running around the house “we’ll see.”

 

Epilogue  
Six months later

Stiles smiled at the reflection that was looking back at her in the mirror, her and Talia were now permanently living with Derek in their dream home, her father was living in her house since it was paid off and everything was repaired or replaced. Derek was still working with Stiles at the shop, they were now sharing her space, and the pack still had dinner every Saturday like clock work. Everything around town had been decently calm, there were a few stray wolves that had come through their territory but Derek and Scott worked together to keep everything peaceful, other than that things had actually been calm. Stiles had worked through her issues with Derek and they had actually started dating, Stiles ending up in Derek's room more nights than not and he had even proposed, they were set to get married in the spring… well they were.

She walked out of the bathroom, leaning her shoulder against the door frame to see Derek laying in their bed the only thing covering him was the sheet thrown across his waist. Stiles knew good and well what he had under that sheet and it was all hers for the rest of her life and she couldn't be more pleased. She moved over to the bed getting on her knees and slowly moving her way up his body until she was straddling his waist, there was a sweet smile on his face, one that told her that he was enjoying every minute of her as much as she was enjoying him. 

“So do you have super sperm?”

His eyebrows furrowed together but the smile never fading, she assumed from the randomness of the question “not that I'm aware of, why?

Taking the stick that she had just peed on out from behind her back, she held it up so that he could see the small pink plus sign that indicated she was pregnant. “Because Talia is gonna be getting that sibling she wanted.”

Derek stared up at her for a minute before he was tackling her onto the bed, covering her with his warm body as he smiled down at her “wanna try for twins?” She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck because she couldn't wait to fill this whole house with little werebabies and she was thrilled that it was with Derek.


End file.
